Coping with Stress

Stress is a word which is most commonly used word in todays world. Stress at work,stress in relationships,stress in studies and so on....We also come across a wide variety of solutions for it.One does not even know which technique to choose to cure one's problem.I’ve imparted training in various corporates and have seen people coming up with variety of significant issues on stress. I've learned from my limited interaction is that stress management techniques are specific to problems and worse, it is specific to individuals.So there is no antibiotic for stress.Then how do we go about it?I would like to discuss some steps which would enable you to cope up with stress.But as I told earlier you should use it according to your problem and your situation.

Step 1
Recognize the enemy

Though people complain that they have stress one hundred times a day they might still be not aware of stress in their life. So, before recognizing the cause of the stress recognize whether you are suffering from stress.I will elicit some symptoms of the stress. Symptoms include persistent back ache,head ache,irritability,memory impairment,confusion,bouts of anger,feeling pushed to the limits etc.These symptoms could be a pointer to the fact that you might have stress.


Step 2
Identify the source

Is it generated at work and carried over to family or vice versa,did any significant life event happen in your life?Significant life events are:Marriage,Death of a spouse,Divorce,New Job e.t.c...Some times it can be generated from multiple sources.Identify the source.

How do you identify the source?The best strategy is to write down the possible sources.Write down problems in each area. The areas could be as varied as work,family,relationships...etc.Then prioritise.Think which problem of yours need most of your attention.Mind is like computer at times when we turn off the program which takes maximum memory space the rest of the issues will fall in place.

Step 3

Can the problem be resolved?

Ideally you should work towards resolving the problem.You can start working towards this by adding solutions to the biggest problem in your problem list.You can list various strategies to solve one issue and choose the best.

But some times you are so stressed that you cannot even think about the source, forget about thinking about the steps on resolving it.In such a condition you should skip step 3 and go straight down to see stress relief techniques.There are some other areas where the source of stress cannot be changed. Example is a dream job and a boss with personality disorder.Well, in conditions like this again you can minimise the damage caused by stress by following some of these techniques.

Step 4

Stress relief techniques

Eat balanced diet

A sound mind in a sound body.So keep your body healthy.Eat a balanced meal.Minimise junk food consumption to least possible amount.

Importance of exercise

Exercise regulary.So tomorrow onwards are you planning to go to the gym? I didn't tell you to go to gym,though going to gym is one of the possible alternatives.By exercise I meant any rigourous physical activity for fifteen minutes to half an hour per day.It could be anything ranging from salsa,basket ball,cycling,jogging,playing in the rain,playing hide and seek with your kid and yes, going to gym. It is found that play can reduce stress.


Practice Relaxation

Practice Medtiation or relaxation technique.If you go and type stress relief or coping with stress you will see practice meditation,relaxation etc..I know it is an over discusse topic.But I cannot avoid it from my article because of its significance in stress relief.What does it do?The relaxation or meditation will activate a response pattern in the body which is diagonally opposite to the response pattern of the body in stress.This soothes down the stress response and will provide relief.

There are many relaxation techniques like progressive muscle relaxation technique, visualisation, deep breathing exercise etc.. Choose a specific relaxation program which suits you. In my next article I would be covering these techniques in detail.

Spiritual belief is a big stress buster.You should have spiritual belief.

Importance of positive attitude

I would like to mention here one strategy which plays a big role in keeping you resolve stress , it is your attitude. Attitude is like your window to the world. You see everything and every body through this window. Check your attitude. Are you a person who always sees problems in everything, your spouse, children, parents, boss, colleagues, weather and everything under the sun? Just prepare a daily checklist and see how many times you complain in a day.

Try to minimise that.See solutions instead of problems. When faced with a difficult situation you will see possibilities instead of problems if you have a positive attitude.If your colleague is a big problem instead of suffering and complaining try to find solutions which can improve your mental peace in that situation.

Aim in your life

When you see people who are successful in life in spite of big problems in their life we can find one common thing.The have an aim in their life.You can go into the biographies of any prominent world figure and will find the same.For success aim is a necessary ingredient.In the context of stress it is necessary to have an aim because we know where we are going and you can solve and overcome many issues thinking about your aim.You are working harder and longer so that you can go for a cruise trip with your family,or you want a happy retired life,or you want to start a company of your own.This will give some meaning to the problems that you face everyday.

Manage time

If you are the one who always feel pushed for the time this one is for you.Well just ask four questions to yourself.What are you doing?Why are you doing it?Where did the demand come from?.

What are you doing?

Time like money has to be recorded to see the point of maximum usage.If you are the one who has problem in managing time just record your daily activities and the time you allotted for it.Do this activity for two weeks.You will see what are you doing every day and where are you wasting time.

Why are you doing it?

Is it because it is part of your larger goal?Is it some activity to keep you happy?Cut down those activities which does not bring much advantage to you.If you can do all the activities without feeling pressed for time nothing like it,but if you have a problem with time then prioritize.

Where did the demand come from?

Is it from office?Is it from family?Can you delegate some of your work.If you are spending more time doing dishes why dont you ask your childrenor spouse to give a helping hand.Delegation is a tool which can spare you from lots of time related stress.

These are some coping technique to reduce the level of stress that you face in your every day life.Well, though I've discussed many topics here there are more details to each which I will add as specific articles.Again some solutions might not be suitable to your context.Choose the solutions which will help you to cope with stress most efficiently.